Two Israeli companies: spying on the world

I’m reprinting my article from 2013 below. But first, a quick bit of recent history concerning two little known Israeli companies, Narus and Verint. They have helped the NSA spy on the planet.

Narus, in 2010, was folded into Boeing, one of the largest defense contractors in the world. Then, in 2014, Boeing sold Narus to Symantec. In 2016, Symantec sold half of itself to the Carlyle Group. So Narus, a little engine that could, has been keeping very high-priced company.

Verint has managed to retain its independence, after buying out the majority stake of Comverse Technology, its former owner, in 2013.

Okay, here we go—from this point on, everything was written in 2013:

2013. Boom. Explosive revelations. The NSA is using telecom giants to spy on anybody and everybody, in a program called PRISM.

But the information is not new.

Three books have been written about the super-secret NSA, and James Bamford has written them all.

In 2008, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now interviewed Bamford as his latest book, The Shadow Factory, was being released.

Bamford explained that, in the 1990s, everything changed for NSA. Previously, they’d been able to intercept electronic communications by using big dishes to capture what was coming down to Earth from telecom satellites.

But with the shift to fiber-optic cables, NSA was shut out. So they devised new methods.

For example, they set up a secret spy room at an AT&T office in San Francisco. NSA installed new equipment that enabled them to tap into the fiber-optic cables and suck up all traffic.

How Bamford describes this, in 2008, tells you exactly where the PRISM program came from:

“NSA began making these agreements with AT&T and other companies, and that in order to get access to the actual cables, they had to build these secret rooms in these buildings.

“So what would happen would be the communications on the cables would come into the building, and then the cable would go to this thing called a splitter box, which was a box that had something that was similar to a prism, a glass prism.

“And the prism was shaped like a prism, and the light signals would come in, and they’d be split by the prism. And one copy of the light signal would go off to where it was supposed to be going in the telecom system, and the other half, this new cloned copy of the cables, would actually go one floor below to NSA’s secret room.

“… And in the secret room was equipment by a private company called Narus, the very small company hardly anybody has ever heard of that created the hardware and the software to analyze these cables and then pick out the targets NSA is looking for and then forward the targeted communications onto NSA headquarters.”

In James Bamford’s 2008 interview, he mentions two Israeli companies, Narus and Verint, that almost nobody knew about. They played a key role in developing and selling the technology that allowed NSA to deploy its PRISM spying program:

Bamford: “Yeah. There’s two major — or not major, they’re small companies, but they service the two major telecom companies. This company, Narus, which was founded in Israel and has large Israel connections, does the — basically the tapping of the communications on AT&T. And Verizon chose another company, ironically also founded in Israel and largely controlled by and developed by people in Israel called Verint.

“So these two companies specialize in what’s known as mass surveillance. Their literature — I read this literature from Verint, for example — is supposed to only go to intelligence agencies and so forth, and it says, ‘We specialize in mass surveillance,’ and that’s what they do.

“They put [this] mass surveillance equipment in these facilities. So you have AT&T, for example, that, you know, considers it’s their job to get messages from one person to another, not tapping into messages, and you get the NSA that says, we want, you know, copies of all this. So that’s where these [two Israeli] companies come in. These companies act as the intermediary basically between the telecom companies and the NSA.”

AMY GOODMAN: “Now, Jim Bamford, take this a step further, because you say the founder and former CEO of one of these companies [Verint] is now a fugitive from the United States somewhere in Africa?”

JAMES BAMFORD: “…the company that Verizon uses, Verint, the founder of the company, the former head of the company, is now a fugitive in — hiding out in Africa in the country of Namibia, because he’s wanted on a number of felony warrants for fraud and other charges. And then, two other top executives of the company, the general counsel and another top official of the parent company, have also pled guilty to these charges.

“So, you know, you’ve got companies — these [two] companies have foreign connections with potential ties to foreign intelligence agencies, and you have problems of credibility, problems of honesty and all that. And these companies — through these two companies pass probably 80 percent or more of all US communications at one point or another.

“And it’s even — gets even worse in the fact that these companies also supply their equipment all around the world to other countries, to countries that don’t have a lot of respect for individual rights —- Vietnam, China, Libya, other countries like that. And so, these countries use this equipment to filter out dissident communications and people trying to protest the government. It gives them the ability to eavesdrop on communications and monitor dissident email communications. And as a result of that, people are put in jail, and so forth…”

AMY GOODMAN: “And despite all of this…these telecom companies still have access to the most private communications of people all over America and actually, it ends up, around the world. And at the beginning of the summer [2008], the Democrats and Republicans joined together in granting retroactive immunity to these companies for spying on American citizens.”

The fugitive CEO of Verint, whom Bamford mentions, is Jacob “Kobi” Alexander. In 2006, the US Dept. of Justice charged him with conspiring to commit securities and wire and mail fraud. The SEC weighed in and filed similar civil charges.

Alexander fled to Namibia, where he finally settled with the SEC for $46 million. [Update: In 2017, he returned to the US, where he was sentenced to the 30 months in prison.]

He is no longer the CEO of Verint.

It’s obvious that these two Israeli companies, Narus and Verint, working for NSA, have been able to divert mega-tons of data to Israeli intelligence.

The recent media stories on this NSA PRISM spying system indicate that NSA is tapping into the servers of huge tech companies; Google, AOL, Microsoft, Skype, Apple, Yahoo. The methods of data theft may have expanded, but the result and intent remain the same.

The government-corporate juggernaut moves ahead. Their rationale—catching terrorists—is, in great part, a cover story to obscure the fact that the State wants control over the lives of all citizens, as it ratchets up the very conditions that provoke rebellion.

It’s a classic pincer movement.

As far as the current NSA PRISM spying is concerned, look for limited hangouts. These are partial admissions and excuses, offered to conceal greater crimes and stop investigations.

The giant tech companies already have their limited hangout in place: “We didn’t know it was happening, we would never have allowed it to happen, and we’ll be much more careful in the future.”

Obama is saying: Yes, let’s have dialogue on this matter…there’s a fine line between national security needs and overweening intrusion into citizens’ privacy.

The NSA is saying: We do spy, but we don’t read content of emails and phone calls. We just keep ‘records’ of the communications.

The lies lying liars tell. The NSA has multiple and redundant methods of spying. If they have to cut back, for a while, on directly accessing the servers of the giant tech firms, they can do it without losing a step.

After all, as James Bamford revealed five years ago [now nine years ago], NSA cuts directly into fiber-optic cables and splits the data into two copies, one of which it keeps for itself. They can access Google and Yahoo in other ways.

Most easily, they can say to these willing tech partners, “Give us all your data.” And it will be done.

Firms like Google are already spying on their customers, putting together extensive profiles to craft better targeted ads. Google knows spying. Doing it for commercial purposes, or for “national security” purposes? They don’t need to make those distinctions.

The author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free NoMoreFakeNews emails here or his free OutsideTheRealityMachine emails here.

28 comments on “Two Israeli companies: spying on the world”

Thank you, Jon, for uncovering and reporting this information. The control of information by governments and communications companies (like A T&T) is far beyond our worse nightmare. Now I understand why my home internet connection has been spastic and unreliable since AT &T send a special repairman to my home to “fix” the internet connections. I.e., I have apparently been paying AT&T to NOT provide reliable internet to my home.

Once we read that Google Maps was all about sending their little filming cars to every street to gather intel and passwords for WiFi, etc. which I guess they can read as they drive by. We decided to change our password and it wasn’t but two days later, one of their little filming cars drove around our cul-de-sac, and only our cul-de-sac. Boy, are we paranoid!

It’s not that we are anyone special, but we do share the writings of Delamer Duverus, and He is special!

Did Bamford not know it was called “Prism?” I guess I’ll have to read one of his books. Because I question the whole “Snowden” story. Was Snowden merely disclosing what was out in the open anyway? Did they concoct Edward Snowden from a character in Joseph Hellers’ masterpiece, Catch 22? Anyway, I’m so behind in my reading. Compromised is 600 pages. You are a great source, Mr R.

Google is a virus, in fact, and anyone who doubts that should try to boycott them like I’m doing. You can’t do it. Too technical to get into but Google has inured itself to everything.

a start, at least, would be to stop funding them. no matter how inconvenient it becomes. rely on peer-to-peer economy as much as possible and flow your time energy in that direction. and create create create.

We once sent “Millstone Straps” to those who weren’t serving the Children but thought we might get charged with a hate crime so stopped. What if all the mothers started sending “Millstone Straps” to those who were making food or poisoning our air, or keeping us in wars which harm the children, etc. Do you think they would get the message?

My thinking is that they would start WWIII or some other “natural” catastrophe to shut us down. You are right, “It is not so over.”

That’s why we think God is our best bet, He is real and He has helped us in the past through hunches and intuition and sometimes even knowings. However, we have to ask.

+1, arcadia11. IF enough Americans would simply CHANGE THEIR DAILY BEHAVIOR ~ and, as you said: “STOP FUNDING THEM” ~ it would very quickly be GAME OVER ~ for the Western “elites” who seek to enslave us all. My question I ask everyone is this: On what do you spend your TIME, ENERGY, ATTENTION, and MONEY? Think about it. Seriously. Stop funding them. We need to massively hit them where it counts ~ in their wallets. THAT will get their attention.

Thanks Jon an excellent and true report. As a Christian I support Israel as mandated in the Bible but their corruption is the same as Americas government. The Elite Globalists Lucifer worshiping bottom feeders through the worlds “shadow governments” control most of what goes on in the world. This includes the United Nations, Federal Reserve, Interpol, Foreign Affairs, State Department, all intelligent agencies and on and on it goes!

With over 600 trillion dollars available at Illumicorp’s discretion no single group or even country stands much of a chance stopping their United Nations Agenda 21, 2030 or even 2050 plans. That is why, as Christians, we fight hard politically and otherwise but its our prayers to the one true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that is making the difference today…..mike

Have often wondered if the Gog and MaGog might be Israel and the US. As a Christian, we are not sure that the Zionist state of Israel is really Israel. Perhaps Israel are only those people within the US and Israel who still carry the flame of the Love of God within them. Also, might want to add British Israel into that mix, too. Gog, MaGog, and GaGog, as in they are choking us unto death.

Jennifer, read the book _ALBION & ZION UNITED_, by Veronika Kuzniar. After reading THAT book, you’ll completely comprehend how it happened, that the wealthy “elite” “Jews” hijacked the so-called “British” Empire, and thereby the Western Financial System, along with the entirety of Western Civilization, including all its primary institutions.

@Procomptor…
Support Israel as in the Bible ? Don’t make me laugh. First off, the original Israelites broke their covenant with God a long, long time ago. Then they murdered all the prophets God sent to them to get them back on track. Then they were instrumental in getting the Son of God murdered. Then most of them disappeared into the dustbins of history, with only the Pharisees remaining for a short time. And now you have fake “Jews” (the Khazars) making believe they are descended from Abraham living in Palestine, Genocide the Semitic Palestinians. Get a grip, pal, your efforts are useless and fruitless.

I would like to know more about Alexander’s “securities fraud”. It seems to me the mass surveillance meme is just a red herring to deflect from it’s real purpose, which is to intercept and capitalize on financial inside information. There’s MUCH more money in insider trading than in listening to George & Martha talking about their new grandchild – just ask Al Gore, John Kerry, HRC and most of Congress.

I think you picked up the same vibe as me.
But using survalence to enrich oneself requires investing in the stock up or down based on confidential by law only to be used for terrorism prevention. So these systems detect insider information pretty good.
Once the trade owner shows up on the radar 6 degrees of freedom is used to figure out how inside info gets out.
If no connections can be made or inferred the electronic archeology begins. Hmm CEO of spy software…hmm. don’t need to be Einstein once this is discovered. And the Russ is up.
This was blatent and easily caught.
How much else goes on undetected is any bodies guess.
Perhaps this is how all our reprsenatives do so well in the markets.

It was 1987-88 timeframe.
I was speaking with my supervisor.
And he said fiber is uncrackable.
I laughed and said false, it is easy, unless your counting photons sent and have a known decay to 10^8 precision measurements monitoring 24/7 then you will never known you have been cloned.
I got a substandard review shortly after.
Also saw fiber optics coupled tangental to each other sandwiched between kapton sheet just as I had d scribed.
The dirt bag PhD bookboob laid me off so I could not expose that he was not the conciever
He got promoted and a bonus.

So the NSA slurps up everything done online and warehouses the data but Russian hackers pwn the election of the big bad super duper first world indispensable manifest destiny super power?
These brilliant Boris and Natasha haxxors couldn’t hide their tracks with a cutout or proxy and left Cyrillic script in the digital tracks.
It has all reached the end of the line and that is why the inbred globalist scum are about to kick off WWIII.
The Russia, Russia, Russia fever is not just for distraction.
Last night during the top of the hour news on the local AM station the reporter was speaking about the Donald Trump Jr. setup and said “foreign enemy government” about Russia.
I thought it was reset buttons and the 1980s wants its foreign policy back?

Also saw fiber optics coupled tangental to each other sandwiched between kapton sheet just as I had d scribed. Also saw fiber optics coupled tangental to each other sandwiched between kapton sheet just as I had d scribed.